Madam Speaker, yes. I apologize.
Thank you. I am splitting my time with the hon. member for Winnipeg North.
That being said, vaccines are going to have an incredibly important role in getting us through this pandemic. That is why our government prioritized the signing of contracts and making sure that vaccines would be available in Canada. That work required a lot of information going into the background. This work began with our government back in July. At that time, there was so much uncertainty about vaccines, including their timing and when they would be safe and effective. That is just something that politicians and politics cannot control. It had to be science-led, which is exactly why our government made sure to have a diverse portfolio and to work with industry experts to prepare for all possible scenarios.
Frankly, the Pfizer delays for the next few weeks are disappointing, but demonstrate precisely how our government's plan was to diversify and to ensure that there would be a variety of vaccines and that once they were deemed safe and effective by Health Canada, Canada could then access them.
In addition to that, even prior to the vaccines' development, our government was working to ensure that we had all the materials we needed to help deal with the COVID-19 virus. That meant we heard early calls to ensure that we would have enough PPE, which we then delivered on, and calls for increasing rapid testing, which we again delivered on. Every step of the way, every twist and turn of this pandemic, we have been there for Canadians in ways that have been very responsive and fast, all things considered, given the dynamics of this pandemic globally and the global competition for all of these same materials.
To see Canada as one of the leaders in ensuring that we have these materials and vaccines for Canadians is precisely why I am very hopeful that we will be able to come out of this pandemic quickly, and also in ways that make us all stronger and, frankly, from which we can learn lessons to ensure that we have strategies in place, not just in pandemic times but throughout governments so that we always keep pandemic planning at the forefront.
Getting back to what we were discussing, which is the vaccines and their procurement, I have heard a lot of members during this debate talk about there being no plan. That could not be further from the truth. Our plan is precisely what we are debating. In fairness, I understand the role of members of the opposition. It is completely their duty and right to pose questions to the government, but there is a big difference between challenging the government or having a difference of opinion and spreading misinformation.
Some members have risen to the occasion in this debate by understanding what is on the line while supporting Canadians during this difficult time, but there are many who, frankly, have used this opportunity to spread misinformation and cause incredible confusion. They have done so for political gain. That is so disheartening. This is an opportunity, whether we all agree or not on the specifics of the rollout, for us to come together as a Parliament and as Canadians to step forward and work together on ensuring the health and safety of all Canadians.
To see members rise in this place but not rise to the occasion is, frankly, very disheartening. We should be discussing strategies and steps for moving forward as a Canadian government and as Canadian parliamentarians looking out for our friends and neighbours, not using this as an opportunity for whatever political game we might see. I remember that back in December Conservative members were claiming we were never going to get the vaccine or we were going to be last, and that did not happen. We had a plan, we stuck to it and we saw deliveries of vaccines in Canada.
We were one of the first countries to get vaccines, and the Conservatives looked deflated after that happened. They should have been elated. They should have been happy that vaccines were delivered for Canadians. Instead, they did not ask any questions about it until this point. There is no question that the Pfizer delay is something we are all disappointed about, but the suggestion that we have no vaccines in this country is simply false. We have over 1.1 million vaccines in Canada to date and we have more vaccines coming next week from Moderna and Pfizer, and as Health Canada continues its work and its reviews, if additional vaccine candidates become approved, we have additional contracts.
As parliamentarians, we have a duty to assure the public that we are working to make sure we have everything that we need in place. We need to build up public trust to ensure that Canadians know that when vaccines are available and it is their turn to receive the vaccine, they can trust that it was not a group of politicians determining which vaccines move forward and which ones do not, that it is instead based on science and evidence and that the regulators at Health Canada are the ones who make these decisions.
This is an opportunity we all have as parliamentarians, and I hope that we will rise to the occasion. The Conservatives should work with us on solutions. I keep hearing Conservatives say there is no plan, yet I have not heard a single solution from them or heard them say that they would have done something differently. Working together is the type of leadership that all Canadians would welcome, and we should get away from the partisanship in a pandemic and crisis like this. If not now, then when? I really think that is what Canadians are expecting.
As we move forward, it is important to assure Canadians that until vaccines are available in their jurisdictions for mass distribution, we need to protect our most vulnerable and continue with these measures. Canada has procured enough vaccines to ensure that every Canadian who wants a vaccination can get one by September. We have six million doses of vaccines coming by the end of March, and from April to June at least 20 million doses of vaccines will be available. They are coming, and we need to work together to ensure that all of us play a role in keeping Canadians safe.